Training a New Operative
Character Points & Attributes: Operatives start with 300 character points. Most Operatives spend 50 to 100 points on attribute points. Attributes start at 5 each & cost or return 5 points to raise or lower. Stormers have separate starting stats based on their design as well. Each race have differeent racial maximums - but the common maximum is the human limit of 10. Each Attribute has the effect of providing a natural limit to the skills based of them. However some have other effects as well. Strength has the in game effect of determining your carrying limits, plus it adds +1/3 (round down) of your Str to Melee Damage & +1/6 of your Str to Melee Armor Damage. Dexterity affects the number of actions you get per round. Each round lasts 3 seconds & a Dex of 1-3 has 1 Action, 4-6 has 2 Actions, 7-9 has 3 actions, 10-12 has 4 actions & 13+ has 5 actions per round. Normally only Wraiths & Stormers can get a Dex so high. But it may be possible with Biogenetic implants as well. Certain Combat drugs also add one or two actions per round as well - but they can be very addictive & problematic because of this. Str & Dex are averaged (add together, divide by two & round up) to determine your Physique. This stat is given to your for free, without character point cost. Strength & Physique are added together to determine your hitpoints. Some Stormer types get this amount doubled, to represent their heavy super soldier physique. Concentration & Diagnosis don't have specific in game effects, but they are averaged (add together, divide by two & round up) to determine your Knowledge Stat. This stat is given to your for free, without character point cost. Charisma is another stat without a particular in game effect, but as it affects your charisma skills, it is still very important. Cool is a special stat in that it has almost no skills attached to it. Instead it represents your strength of mind. Some effects - like fear, horror, gore & even mind effecting attacks will require Cool rolls. Failed rolls may cause mental instability, insanity, physical twitches & worse... Or even lowering your stat until you can't cope with daily life & require your character to be hospitalised. Of course, some events may increase this stat too. After character creation, stats can be raised at 5 XP each, if you have been doing things in character to justify this raising. You can also do things to try and force a stat up without raising - buying implants & bio-genetic upgrades, taking steroids & working out at the Gym, Schooling & mental training are common options. It generally takes 3-6 months to raise a stat via these methods, though with the aid of drugs you can halve these guidelines. Skills: Skills take up most of the remainder of your points. A skill of rank 1-3 is a amateur level, perhaps a casual hobby or even a natural talent. A skill of rank 4-6 is a professional level - the common level of skill you might hire when you send in a suit to be fitted at the tailors, a regular athlete or even just a minor actor. Level 7-10 are more of a specialized skill that is rare & would become a focal point for a character. Skill levels above 10 generally require a character to focus themselves on not only that skill but also it's related attribute. Often they will have spent years in training or perhaps thousands of credits in upgrades just to be able to perform at these standards. Though some aliens can perform to these levels naturally. Most characters will start with 1-4 skills at a very high level. 6-9 ranks. They will have half a dozen or more professional skills & they may have another dozen low level skills. Some characters may have even more, but this gives a good idea of what a character might have. The Karma book has several NPCs quickly listed in the back of the book, to give examples & ideas of how they could look. Buying skills is an unusual price. Each rank costs it's amount in character points to acquire. So the costs becomes exponential. So 1 Rank costs 1 point. 2 Ranks cost 1+2 = 3 points. 3 Ranks cost 1 + 2 + 3 = 6 points. Rank 5 costs 15 points & Rank 10 costs 55 points! Skills are rolled at 2d10+ your Rank or -3 if you have no ranks. So buying 1 or 2 ranks in a skill can be very powerful even if it doesn't sound like much. Usually a roll of 11+ is a success, or you are rolling against an opponents skill instead. One unusual aspect of skills are whilst buying new ranks after character creation costs the sames, buying a new skill costs 5 XP instead of 1 character point. Every rank after the first costs it's number in XP, just like in character creation. You can also learn new skills by attending college classes, personal training sessions or similar efforts. Your character will make weekly rolls & will usually accrue a new skill in 3-6 months. Dedicating all their time, taking drugs or similar means to put extra effort in can decrease these times as well. Any characters stuck on spaceships or posts with minimal requirements of their time are recommended to start working towards increasing existing skills, developing new skills or even trying to enhance their stats through mental or physical training. SLA has many online resources to help achieve these goals, with various paid options that are more effective as well. When you get your Race, you get several ranks of skills for free (10 points worth usually). These are added in before you calculate your skills. When you get your Training Package, you get a free rank in six skills - or the skill at rank 2 if you didn't select it. These ranks are added in after you've spent your character points, so they can be very beneficial. You can even raise a skill to rank 10 with this, if you choose to specialize in your training packages. This makes choosing the right training package a powerful effect for each character. A skill can't start above 10, so 10 ranks is the max for starting characters. A special exception to skills are Hobby Skills. Hobby skills are minor skills that many characters might have, but often don't have much game impact. Or they are skills that are easier to learn. As such, they cost 1 point or Xp per rank to acquire. Yes, so 1 rank costs 1 character point but 5 ranks costs only 5 character points total. To buy them after character creation costs 2 points of XP for the first rank & 1 XP for each subsequent rank. Language Skills are treated like Hobby Skills. So they cost only 1 XP or Character Point each. You also get your Knowledge in free ranks towards languages. Though Literacy is a separate skill, but it only needs to be brought once for all your languages. Literacy represents how well you have studied the written language. It can also be rolled to produce written reports, speeches etc. Hobby & Special Interest Skills: * Agriculture, Knowledge * Archaeology, Knowledge * Architecture, Knowledge * Astronomy, Knowledge * Botany, Knowledge * Cinematography, Knowledge * Cooking, Knowledge * Ecology, Knowledge * Gambling Conc * Geography, Knowledge * History, Knowledge * Music - General, Knowledge * Paleography, Knowledge * Physiography, Knowledge * Physiology, Knowledge * Play instrument, Knowledge * Sewing, Dexterity * Theater, Knowledge This covers both interest in the theater & theatrical training. * Video Games, Knowledge * Zoology, Knowledge Languages: * Animal Languages, It is possible to learn the language of DNA Altered Animals. Mostly these are basic languages with little detail - but it is possible to learn. The more genetically altered animals with higher intellects can have quite complex languages that almost border on 'conversations' - but the information is still quite basic in its core concepts. Things like 'They' upset me, that's happy, Wants or Fears, Danger & Scents... Basic but informative. Most Operatives will never bother to learn more than a few basic meows or woofs from their pets though. But DAA's are on the rise. * Carrien, a deep, guttural language that actually uses a little bit of scent to accentuate the conversation. It's not a very evolved language, with most Advanced Carrien learning Killian or other languages to better communicate their needs. * Glyphic, this is the language of Ebons & Brainwasters. It's written form is more like Chinese & Japanese, with graphic symbols that can form a basic letter or entire concepts/words. * Killan, the common language of SLA Industries & Mort itself. This is the universal common language, at least in SLA Industries eyes. * New Parisan, This is a very eloquent, french like language used on the high fashion moon of New Paris. Whilst this language isn't a requirement, anyone in a fashionable position would be loathe not to master this particular language. * Sign Language, There are several Sign Languages but the most common aspects of the Killian Sign Language have generally been included in most other Sign Languages - partly by SLA's Decree & partly by the basic need for a universal sign language for the galaxy. Anyone with a racial Sign Language has 1/3 their ranks in the common Killian Sign Language for Free. * Scavian, This basic language evolved from a mixture of other languages in the depths below Downtown. Anyone with any language would understand a few words, but holding any level of conversation would be difficult. This language can be rolled without training, with the usual -3 to try and grasp some concepts being used in the conversation. * Shaktarian, this strange alien language has no vowels, so most other races find it difficult to learn. It's written form holds many geometric symbols, with 7 sided shapes being the common alphabet. * Wrathian, This is the native language of Wraith Raiders, a language comprised of mewls, meows & hissing accents. Another language that can be hard for other species to learn. * Off world Languages, there are several more at the Outer Rim, though they are mostly considered dead languages. Some Skills also add an advantage to related Skills. Dexterity: * Zero-G Maneuvers: Physical skills & Combat Skills are limited to a max rank of this skill, whilst in Zero-G. Concentration: * Medical, Surgery: You take a penalty of -2 with obscure alien species and this skill can be used on animal species at -6. * Veterinarian, Surgery: You take a penalty of -2 with obscure alien species and this skill can be used on humanoid species at -6. Knowledge: * Biology: Gives +1 per 2 ranks to Medical & Veterinary Skills. * Chemistry: Gives +1 per 3 ranks to Medical Skills relating to Drugs/Chemicals, Demolitions Skills & Engineering Skills when chemistry may apply. * Mathematics: Gives +1 per 2 ranks to Engineering, Navigation & Artillery Weapons. * Medical, Practice: You take a penalty of -2 with obscure alien species and this skill can be used on animal species at -5. * Veterinarian, Practice: You take a penalty of -2 with obscure alien species and this skill can be used on humanoids at -5. * Zoology: Gives +1 per 3 Ranks to Veterinary Skills or Medical Skills when working on Alien Species. Advantages & Disadvantages: Each character can purchase Advantages & Disadvantages. I allow players to gain benefits from up to 50 points of disadvantages usually, just to set a limit & scale to your flaws. I also don't recommend flaws of 5 or more ranks for a starting character, unless you feel it won't occur as a common event (a phobia of rats or allergy to certain foods might be suitable) and I will work with players to ensure their flaws are things I can work with as a GM. If you take an allergy to Rat Meat I'll be very upset... Or have a string of extra delicious extra cheap fast food contamination... Several Advantages have been altered to have in game effects. Here is a list of those that have effects both in the books & under my house rules. Good Appearance & Good Figure: These advantages have up to 5 ranks & cost 2 points per rank. They add their rank to various charisma skills, when your looks & figure can be seen to your advantage. So dressing poorly may negate these bonuses. Also an NPC's personal preferences may also negate this effect - a happily married NPC may overlook them without impact whilst other NPCs may just not have interest in your type of body/look. Good Voice: In the same vain as Good Figure & looks, this advantage has only a single rank usually. It costs 2 points & adds one to charisma skills where you are using your voice. So singing, phone calls & talking to crowds or superiors would apply, whilst catwalk modeling & photos would not. Bad Appearance & Bad Figure, Course Voice: These all work the same as the advantages, only in reverse. You get 2 points back for each rank & suffer social penalties. Your character might suffer prejudice, miss out on BPNs or get overlooked by the media, promotions & other events. I don't recommend taking these flaws lightly & without consideration. Good or Bad Vision: This Advantage or Disadvantage costs 4 points per rank & adds it's rank to Detect & Forsenics rolls. Max of 5 ranks, but alien species with enhanced eyesight can get up to 7 ranks instead. Your Good Vision will also help negate range penalties in ranged combat, allowing you to ignore up to your rank in penalties. They do not add any bonuses to ranged attacks however. Good or Bad Hearing & Smell: These Advantages/Disadvantages work in the same vain as Vision, but they cost only 2 Character Points per rank & only apply when your hearing or sense of smell might pick up something unusual. The Max rank is 5, but alien species with enhanced senses can get up to 7 ranks instead. Ambidextrous: This advantage cost 10 Character Points. Whilst anyone can pick up two swords or pistols & make attacks, they would normally roll 2d10 + 1/2 their skill with a -3 to each roll. So a character would need 6 ranks just to roll 2d10+0 for each attack. An Ambidextrous character can roll these attacks without the -3 penalty to their skills. Savings/Debt: This advantage or Disadvantage costs 3 points per rank & either provides or removes 100 credits from your starting credits. You can have up to 10 ranks, for a maximum effect of adding or removing 1000 credits. Income: You have a sideline income. You must choose the form it comes in. A stable, management free income might be Shares or Stocks, whilst other character might devote a small amount of their time to running a small business online or similar. The form it takes opens various oppurtunities for the income to increase or decrease. You might buy additional shares or decide to try & play the market - particularly if you feel your character's actions or intel might have some effect on a particular stock or share temporarily. Whilst an online seller might try to invest in advertising & new product lines to increase their other all profits - but also requiring additional time & investment, perhaps even trading favors to get new logos drawn up, adverts recorded from charismatic operatives etc. Expenses: This disadvantage represents a debt that has become a monthly payment. To remove it requires either paying 100 times your debt amount, or providing some sort of favor, service, blackmail or assassination etc to clear the debt. A gangster or bookie might be someone you can bribe with the right 'opportunity' or some stolen SLA equipment. Perhaps you can bump them off - though that might have repercussions... Perhaps it's just a bank loan & you have to maintain it or the bank will send in debt collectors to 'collect' your goods to auction off against your interest & fees. Getting rid of this disadvantage is rarely ever done with XP but instead requires a lot of roll playing & using the opportunities presented in unique ways. Vehicle: At Rank 10, you can have a SCAF Hovercycle or similar small flying craft. Physical Advantages & Disadvantages List: * Good Looks or Bad Looks, You Look Handsome or Ugly. Maximum of 5 Ranks. Costs 2 Points per Rank. Adds it rank to most Charisma Skills when looks are displayed & valued by those recieving the skill. * Good Figure or Bad Figure, You Look Pretty, Thin or Athlete - or perhaps you are big boned, over weight or even just oddly balanced. Maximum of 5 Ranks. Costs 2 Points per Rank. Adds it rank to most Charisma Skills when your figure is on display & valued by those receiving the skill. Dressing well is an important aspect to this advantage. * Good Voice/Course Voice, You have a pretty Voice or Harsh Voice. Maximum of 1 Rank. Costs 2 Points & it adds it rank to your social skills when you are talking or singing. * Ambidextrous, 10 Points. You can use both hands independantly & you can roll skills with each hand without a -3 penalty to each roll. * Vision Good/Bad, 4 Points per Rank, maximum of 5 Ranks or 7 if you have enhanced Optics. This adds it's rank to your your Detect Rolls & Forensics when visual components are important. It also offsets it's rank in range penalties when firing at long range. * Hearing Good/Bad, 2 Points per Rank, maximum of 5 Ranks or 7 if you have enhanced Hearing. This adds it's rank to your your Detect Rolls & Forensics when audible components are important. * Smell Good/Bad, 2 Points per Rank, maximum of 5 Ranks or 7 if you have enhanced Optics. This adds it's rank to your your Detect Rolls & Forensics when Scent components are important. * Time Keeper Good/Bad, This skill represents your time management. When you are pressed to do various small tasks, move from place to place etc you can point out this advantage to gain an advantage. When being Early is important or when you are competing against others in various tasks, this advantage may add it's rank to assist you. Maximum of 5 Ranks. * Sleeper Good/Bad, Maximum of 10 ranks. This advantage represents your need to sleep. Most people require 7 hours of sleep to function without penalty. Getting less causes accrued penalties to their stats (lowering your maximums ranks in your associated skills) & even their rolls when exhaustion applies (lowered skills rolled with additional penalties!). For every rank in this skill, you need/don't need 20 minutes of sleep. So 9 ranks would allow you to operate on just 4 hours of sleep, whilst -6 ranks would mean you need to sleep in & grab 9 hours of sleep each night. * Sterile: You are sterile. You get 1 character point. Stormers get this disadvantage for free. * Allergies: Discuss this with the GM. The severity & commonness of the substance will determine the rank. Yo0u get 2 points per rank. * Medical Conditions: This represents severe disadvantages. Discuss with the GM to decide what effects occur & how often they might occur or what might trigger problems. Anything from Asthma to Diabetes to far worse disease may apply. You get 3 points back for each rank. * DNA Tattoss: DNA Tattoos are a status symbol. This has a maximum rank of 5 (possibly more if you ever find an artist with above 10 ranks). Each rank costs or returns 1 rank. DNA Tattoos are genetically added to your body, so that if you lose skin or are injured, the tattoo will regrow as it's inbuilt to your genetic makeup. These Tattoos, when displayed, can add their rank to your social skills. But they only work on certain social groups, as determined by your choice of Tattoo. Some designs may have an effect with various corporations or gangs, whilst others may be symbols for soft companies, bands & musicians etc. * Additions: Again, please talk to the GM to determine how bad & how common the substance is. That will determine the ranks returned from this disadvantage. You receive 2 points per rank. Mundane Advantages & Disadvantages List: * Savings/Debt: This advantage or Disadvantage costs 3 points per rank & either provides or removes 100 credits from your starting credits. You can have up to 10 ranks, for a maximum effect of adding or removing 1000 credits. * Income: You have a sideline income. You must choose the form it comes in. A stable, management free income might be Shares or Stocks, whilst other character might devote a small amount of their time to running a small business online or similar. The form it takes opens various oppurtunities for the income to increase or decrease. You might buy additional shares or decide to try & play the market - particularly if you feel your character's actions or intel might have some effect on a particular stock or share temporarily. Whilst an online seller might try to invest in advertising & new product lines to increase their other all profits - but also requiring additional time & investment, perhaps even trading favors to get new logos drawn up, adverts recorded from charismatic operatives etc. * Expenses: This disadvantage represents a debt that has become a monthly payment. To remove it requires either paying 100 times your debt amount, or providing some sort of favor, service, blackmail or assassination etc to clear the debt. A gangster or bookie might be someone you can bribe with the right 'opportunity' or some stolen SLA equipment. Perhaps you can bump them off - though that might have repercussions... Perhaps it's just a bank loan & you have to maintain it or the bank will send in debt collectors to 'collect' your goods to auction off against your interest & fees. Getting rid of this disadvantage is rarely ever done with XP but instead requires a lot of roll playing & using the opportunities presented in unique ways. * Vehicle: Maximum of 10 ranks, 2 points for Rank. At Rank 10, you can have a SCAF Hovercycle or similar small flying craft. * Good Housing: Maximum of 10 Ranks, you receive 3 points per Rank. * Bad Housing: Maximum of 10 Ranks, you receive 1 points per Rank. * Good or Bad Info: Maximum of 10 Ranks, each rank is worth 1 Character Point. You have access to someone who knows a guy in '???'. You hear good or bad info on the stock market, perhaps good deals on equipment, perhaps you know folks invested in local gangs, maybe you just have friends at the laundromat who know about ???. Mental Advantages & Disadvantages: * Cool/Jelly, for 5 points you can raise or lower your maximum Cool Stat by 1 point. This doesn't affect your stat itself, but instead your racial maximum is affected instead. * Phobia, Maximum 10 Ranks. Each rank is worth 2 Character Points. You have a phobia, whose commonness & effect upon you will determine it's rank. You must make a cool check against 11+ your Rank each time you encounter your phobia or suffer the consequences of a failed Cool Roll, including possibly icnreasing this disadvantage. Sometimes I will assign more points to a disadvantage to represent a minor fear you might encounter more commonly. For example, you might want a 2 rank phobia against Rats. But if you choose to live in Downtown, you will encounter rats so often, I will give you additional points to represent the commonness of your phobia, whilst still maintaining it's 'minorness' of the effect upon you. * Arrogant. Maximum of 10 ranks, 1 point per rank. * Psychoses, Maximum of 10 Ranks, 3 points per rank. Circumstancial Advantages & Disadvantages: Major friend/enemy(10) 5/rank actively trying to kill/help you Minor friend/enemy(10) 1/rank contact Luck good/bad(10) 4/rank Dependant(10) 1/rank SOCIAL Pacifist(10) 2/rank problems resorting to violence Reputation good/bad(10) 2/rank with a specific group for something specific Chicken(10) 2/rank prone to running away, avoiding confrontation HOBBY Natural Aptitude(10) 3/rank if skill roll fails get second chance against aptitude No combat skills Training Packages: MEDIA Cinematography Interview Communiqué Literacy SLA Info Streetwise DEATH SQUAD Rifle Auto/Support Unarmed Evaluate Opponent Tactics Rival Company STRIKE SQUAD '(Militia) Pistol Rifle Any Melee Combat Drive, Military Drive, Civilian Paramedic '''KICK MURDER '(Assassination) Any Melee Combat Martial Arts Hide Sneak Acrobatics Climb '''SCOUT Tracking Streetwise Detect Running Sneaking Rifle PILOT/NAVIGATOR Pilot, Military Drive, Military Drive, Motorcycle Navigation Auto/Support Mechanic Repair MEDIC Package Paramedic Medical Practice Forensics Psychology Pathology Computer Use MECHANIC Mechanic Repair Mechanic Industrial Electronics Repair Electronics Industrial Computer Use Computer Subterfuge INVESTIGATOR Detect Rival Company SLA Info Streetwise Interview Forensics BUSINESS Business Administration Business Finance Diplomacy Communiqué SLA Info Computer Use DNA ALTERED ANIMAL HANDLER *See Karma R&D for Permission Animal Handling Flexible Weaponry Running Tracking Veterinarian, Practice Veterinarian, Surgery